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Colosseum vs. Capital Punishment

This was news to me...In the midst of pro/con death penalty agitation surrounding the case of Stanley "Tookie" Williams was the following:

Rome's Colosseum, once the arena for deadly gladiator combat and
executions, has become a symbol of Italy's death penalty opposition.
Since 1999, the monument has been bathed in golden light every time a
death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world or a country
abolishes capital punishment.

"I hope there will be such an occasion soon," Rome Mayor
Walter Veltroni said. "When it happens, we will do it with a special
thought for Tookie."

Here's a BBC article from the 1999 campaign, in which then mayor Francesco Rutelli said:

"I think all over the world the Colosseum is known as a place of death
and as a place of amusements linked to death...Today we want to make a positive link between the Colosseum and life."